Interview with the Founders of Hapbee Company: Kendall and Kevin Schmidt, Carlos and Alexa Penavega

Brianne is the Online Managing Editor for Viva Glam Magazine. She loves to interview musicians, actors, and comedians. She also plays four instruments, loves hip-hop dance, and is an avid softball player.

ABOUT HAPBEE COMPANY

You currently have a face bar, a face scrub, and a healing balm in the Hapbee face kit. Why those three products?

Kevin: We looked at the marketplace and saw the huge players used tons of chemicals. We have a millennial-based audience with millennial owners. The way that these types of products reached the marketplace in the past was with direct campaigns on TV. Now, we source it from our social circles. We saw an opportunity. There are no clean products related to a daily skincare routine that we can bring out to the marketplace. We can use our social presence and even create funny, yet important commercials, creating a perfect storm of goodness that came together.

How did you decide upon the recipe for these products?

Kevin: We have some formulators that we work with. Where we add our touch is that we’re looking for the most sustainable and local raw ingredients as possible. When we bring out this deodorant, we’ll be using oils and wax that are local, instead of using ingredients from South America, for example, that would leave a big carbon footprint.

What’s your target audience for Hapbee?

Kevin: We’re going to go as direct-to-consumer for as long as possible. But part of the commercial we shot today was announcing that we’ll be on Amazon Prime. The thing that we’ve done differently with our .com is that we have a subscription reward service. The more you buy, the more points you get, and you get free products. And it’s the cheapest. Amazon is for the convenience.

It’s not often that men get into lifestyle brands outside of fitness and nutrition. Was anyone particularly surprised with your new venture?

Kendall and Carlos: Everybody.

Kendall: As far as healthy products goes, our friends weren’t surprised. Because they know Kevin and I are obsessed with [natural products]. And Carlos has known since the beginning of “Big Time Rush” because I didn’t wear regular deodorant and I had B.O., but after 12 hours of working!

Kevin: Natural deodorant was figured out about five years ago. There are some great brands now.

What’s next for Hapbee?

Kevin: Our goal is to make a natural, organic brand affordable. There’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through regarding certifications, which makes organic products more expensive than other products. But if we’re going to affect and create change, we have to give everyone an opportunity to access the products. We want really clean, high-quality stuff that’s affordable as possible, which is what we’re excited about.

Carlos: We all bring different aspects. Kevin is our brain. This guy is constantly coming up with new ideas. He’s so hands-on. Every company brings something different. It’s such a good little team. And Ocean just joined. He’s like the Gerber baby. We bring a side where we’re fresh young parents. In L.A., New York, and Miami, most people aren’t having kids until later. But the rest of the country, people are having kids at 21. It’s been cool having people relate to us way differently than Kendall and Kevin.

Alexa: In middle America, they just go buy whatever they can at WalMart. Whereas now, they can order it and have it shipped, it’s affordable, and we can educate them while we’re learning at the same time.